_ Zamenhof, Montessori, Pedagogy and Peace
Maria Montessori (1870 – 1952) and Ludwig Zamenhof (1859-1917) are revered historical figures because of the way they applied their creativity, in their respective fields of education and applied linguistics, to help others fulfill their potential to create a better and more peaceful world.
These two practical visionaries experienced the lack of peace, in either the ghettos of Warsaw and in Italy under Mussolini, so they knew how much it mattered.
Both 19th Century medical doctors made good use of a thorough education : Montessori was the first female graduate in medicine in Rome, before developing an interest in education, and Zamenhof was an eye doctor with mastery of eleven languages.
Neither turned away from those less fortunate, nor lost sight of the grave problems facing society and their responsibility to use their unusual capacity to make a difference.
Both found new solutions to old problems, and refused to be daunted by the ‘common-wisdom’ of their day:
Montessori did not accept that poor or ‘simple ‘ children should have no education, or that children were inherently naughty or lazy, or that teachers should rule by force or bribery.
Zamenhof did not accept that ethnic warfare was an inevitable and acceptable part of living in a multicultural society. He did not accept that children born into certain language groups must be permanently disadvantaged as citizens of the world; obliged (but not necessarily enabled) to learn the languages of more powerful groups who would never return the courtesy.
Both Montessori and Zamenhof were right. Their solutions have been tested, implemented and found worthy in the century since their formulation.
It has become widely accepted that children can and do learn a great deal from early infancy, that they will make good use of appropriately scaled aids to independent living, and that they need freedom to move and investigate and to build understandings in their own time. These are just some of Montessori’s challenges to the common thinking of her time.
As for Zamenhof, millions of people use Esperanto, the language he created. Investing only about 100 hours in learning the language provides a bridge between any combination of the World’s six thousand odd languages. Esperanto is a fair choice and a practical one, providing all the amenities which a language must provide, as simply as possible.
Doctor Montessori gained her insight through careful observation of the child at work. She advised her followers to do likewise in order to fit the pedagogy to the learner and not the reverse, as had previously been the case.
Similarly, Doctor Zamenhof observed what learners required of a common language and created it : patterns for ease of learning, recognizable roots and neutrality to respect the dignity of all.
Esperanto and Montessori together, offer the world even more than either does alone.
These two practical visionaries experienced the lack of peace, in either the ghettos of Warsaw and in Italy under Mussolini, so they knew how much it mattered.
Both 19th Century medical doctors made good use of a thorough education : Montessori was the first female graduate in medicine in Rome, before developing an interest in education, and Zamenhof was an eye doctor with mastery of eleven languages.
Neither turned away from those less fortunate, nor lost sight of the grave problems facing society and their responsibility to use their unusual capacity to make a difference.
Both found new solutions to old problems, and refused to be daunted by the ‘common-wisdom’ of their day:
Montessori did not accept that poor or ‘simple ‘ children should have no education, or that children were inherently naughty or lazy, or that teachers should rule by force or bribery.
Zamenhof did not accept that ethnic warfare was an inevitable and acceptable part of living in a multicultural society. He did not accept that children born into certain language groups must be permanently disadvantaged as citizens of the world; obliged (but not necessarily enabled) to learn the languages of more powerful groups who would never return the courtesy.
Both Montessori and Zamenhof were right. Their solutions have been tested, implemented and found worthy in the century since their formulation.
It has become widely accepted that children can and do learn a great deal from early infancy, that they will make good use of appropriately scaled aids to independent living, and that they need freedom to move and investigate and to build understandings in their own time. These are just some of Montessori’s challenges to the common thinking of her time.
As for Zamenhof, millions of people use Esperanto, the language he created. Investing only about 100 hours in learning the language provides a bridge between any combination of the World’s six thousand odd languages. Esperanto is a fair choice and a practical one, providing all the amenities which a language must provide, as simply as possible.
Doctor Montessori gained her insight through careful observation of the child at work. She advised her followers to do likewise in order to fit the pedagogy to the learner and not the reverse, as had previously been the case.
Similarly, Doctor Zamenhof observed what learners required of a common language and created it : patterns for ease of learning, recognizable roots and neutrality to respect the dignity of all.
Esperanto and Montessori together, offer the world even more than either does alone.